Safety engine-cranking device.



WI A. DILLON.

SAFETY ENGINE CRANKING DEVICE.

AREL'lcAtloN FILED rsa. 1l. 1916.

1,215,257. Y Patented Feb. 6,1917.

attcwmg BESTAvAiLABLE cori v- UNITED STATES OFFICE- WILLIAM A. DILLoNQoEMARLING, MISSOURI.

. SAFETY4 ENGINE-CEANKING DEVICE.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

appiicationnfiedrebruary 11,1916. serial No. 77,671.

To all 'whom t 'may concern.' A

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. DiLLoN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at` llfarliiig, in the countyof Montgomery and State of Missouri, have invented new and usefulIini'iroveinents in .Safety Engine- Cranking Devices, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to safetyengine cranking devices, the object inView being to provide `ineanswhereby a person mayv i safleliY crank orturn over the shaft of an clutch sleeve. y

Referring to the drawings 1 designates the Figure l is a side elevationof the craiikfy ing mechanism showing the parts in` cranking position.

f Fig. isa ilongitudinal.sectionrthrough the sinne with the crankingshaft released. F ig.- 3" is a detail perspective view of the shaft ofan internal combustion engine. In' the preferred embodiment of thisinvention,

they forward end of the shaft 1 lias'fast thereon a tubular clutchmember 2 in which is slidingly received, supported and guided theadjacent end portion of a cranking shaft 3 provided at its forwardextremity with the usualhand crank 4.

The member 2 is provided at its forward extremity with a clutch facey 5which isy adapted to be engaged by another. tubular clutch member Gbearing a fixed relation to the cranking shaft 3.

Mounted loosely on the crai'iking shaftk and slidable to a. limitedextent longitudinally thereof is a thrust sleeve 7 having iii j thevforward extremity thereof notches 8 `which aie'adapt'edtobe engagedby apin 9 which is inserted through a holek extending diametrically of thecranking shaft 3.

The forward end of the thrust sleeve is also` :formed with cam faces 10which converge or slope toward each other andintothe notches referredto, said cani faces being adapted rto cooperate with the pin of thecranking sli-aft in :i manner which. will hereinafter appear. A At-` theopposite "endthe thrust sleeve is provided with -a `r`clutch` face .l1which is adapted to engage a stationary clutch face 12 shown assuppi-irted by a stationary arm or bracket ln. A washer or.collar 14: encircles the cranking shaft 3 'in front" of the pin above referred to andis pressed against said pin and also against the forward extremity ofthe thrust sleeve by nieaiis of'a coiled expansion spring 1 5 encirclingthe ratentd'iieb. 6,1917.

cranking shaft andlbearing against a i spring sent lo onl said crankingshaft, shown .inthe forni ot a pin inserted through the shaft.

i From 'the foregoing description, taken in connection willi theaccompanying.drawings,theoperation of the mechanism may now be explainedas follows. In order to crank or start the engine, the operator graspsthe hand crank and presses the saine toward the enginesoas-to force-theVclutch face, on the cranking shaft into positive eri-'v` gageii'ientwith the eliitclifaceA on the engine shaft. b v now revolving thestarting crank` the engine shaft is turned in a corresponding directionand the engine, -is started in the ordinary manner. ln theV event,however, of the engine stai-ting to turn inthe wrong direction. theclutch face of the thrust sleeve is held b v the ,expansion springreferred to in engagement. withvthe stationary Vclutch face andthereforethe ythrust sleeve is prevented,lroni turning. A partialturning iiiovenufnt is. however, imparted-to the crank shaft'liv reason'of the engagement which is still iiiaintainei'l for a moment betweenthe clutch vfaces of the'crankingr shaft and the engine shaft. but asthercranking shaft' is thus turned. the. pin'carried therebv ridesagainst' the outwardly tlarii'ig cani 'faces of the thrust sleevethereby" causing i n forward i-novenient of the cranking shaft to anextent sullicient to disengage the clutch face of the cranking shaftfrom the clutch face of the engine shaft., This-saves the hand or arniofthe operator and renders the cranking mechanism perfectly safe in useeven in thehands of a novice.

Having thus described my invention, I cl aim:-

In safety cranking mechanism for internal combustion engines, thecombination with van engine shaft having a tubular clutch member tastthereon, of a longituf dinallv inovahle cranking shaft in alinement withthe engine shaft, a tubular clutch inember fast on said cranking shaftand Inovahle into and out of engagement with the first named clutchmember, a thrust sleeve normali)v loose on and slidable longitudinallyof the cranking shaft and provided with diametrically opposite notchesin its forward face and cam faces converging towardand leading to saidnotches, a pin inserted through the cranking shaft and adapted to beacted upon by said cam faces to move the cranking shaft awayifrom theengine shaft, a clutch face on the opposite

